1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heterostructure infrared hot-electron transistor (HET), specifically to a hot-electron photo transistor (HEPT) which has a wide-range infrared detection feature by applying combination of quantum dot or quantum wire arrays of various sizes as an emitter electron injecting barrier (emitter barrier), and which has an increased resolution of detected infrared wavelength, and which selectively amplifies and processes infrared signal of specific frequencies using a resonant tunneling quantum well structure, and which induces reduction of dark currents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices utilizing heterostructure have been actively developed as semiconductor growth technologies such as the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), the metal organic compound vapor deposition (MOCVD) are being advanced. Active researches are in progress on the phenomena of absorbing or emitting lights in the range of infrared caused by electron transitions between quantum-confined states of electrons or holes in the structures of quantum wells, quantum wires, or quantum dots of GaSb/InAs, InAs/ZnTe, GaAs/Al(Ga)As, InGaAs/InAlAs/InP etc, due to the energy band line-up of the semiconductor hetero junction structures, and on the resonant tunneling effect of electrons through quantum-confined states, and on the significantly rapid electron moving effect of hot-electrons in the heterostructure. Also in progress are researches to integrate the ultra-high speed infrared photo detection and generation utilizing inter-subband transitions of electrons and the ultra-high speed electron effect utilizing the significantly short transit time of hot-electrons in transistor structures.
The utilization of the quantum resonant tunneling effect and the significantly short transit time of hot-electrons can make tera-hertz operation of the devices possible. Devices like hot-electron transistors (HET), resonant tunneling hot-electron transistors (RHET), resonant tunneling diodes (RTD) etc, can be operated in tera-hertz range (far infrared range). A lot of interests are focused to tunable voltage-controlled photodetectors which can absorb, detect and generate infrared ray utilizing the heterostructure quantum well, quantum wire, quantum dot structures, and to hot-electron photo transistors utilizing the significantly rapid transit time of hot-electrons in the base area. In particular, the utilization of the electron resonant tunneling through quantum-confined states with ultra-high speed and the electron transition between quantum-confined states has technological significance in the applications to ultra-high speed switching devices and logic devices.